Development of a questionnaire assessing work-related stress in women – identifying individuals who risk being put on sick leave

Abstract

Purpose. To develop a self-administered questionnaire assessing work-related stress in women, aiming to identify individuals that risk long-term sick leave, and to evaluate the reliability of the questionnaire.

Method. The study was carried out in two phases. The initial phase was to construct the questionnaire and to confirm its face validity. The second phase was to test the reliability of the questionnaire.

Results. The questionnaire was constructed from an empirical standpoint and based on a qualitative study. Two main themes were identified: One was related to factors at work and the other to the persons themselves. Eight categories were recognized from these themes and questions were constructed. A pilot group confirmed the validity of the questions. A first version of the questionnaire was subjected to test-retest analysis and all unstable items were improved. The reliability of the revised version was satisfactory.

Conclusions. A simple questionnaire, containing 20 questions assessing work-related stress in women, with the purpose of identifying individuals that risk long-term sick leave was developed. The questionnaire was found to have good face validity and high reliability. Since there is a need for preventive methods in identifying individuals that risk being put on sick leave, this questionnaire can be a useful tool for health professionals.

Keywords:

• Work-related stress
• gender
• early identification
• sick leave
• questionnaire
• reliability
• validity